Ghost Coin to be Deployed as Payment for Hong Kong Vending Machines

John McAfee-backed privacy coin Ghost Coin partners with ivendPay as a payment option for Hong Kong vending machines.

Ghost Coin, the proof-of-stake privacy coin led by John McAfee, can now be used in vending machines in Hong Kong Disneyland.
Ghost announced on Twitter that it partnered with crypto payment system ivendPay to deploy the coin in over 60 vending machines around Hong Kong, even those in Hong Kong Disneyland. 
“When we 1st launched $GHOST our vision was not only to focus on #Privacy but also on real user adoption,” Ghost said on Twitter. 
The privacy coin and distributed exchange went live last week amid the ongoing controversy surrounding it. Ghost distributed exchange replaced the McAfeeDEX distributed exchange in the process. 
The controversial and eccentric McAfee came under fire after it was found parts of the Ghost white paper were “copy-pasted” from open-source protocol PIVX’s white paper. McAfee admitted that plagiarism was involved but still threatened to sue PIVX for defamation. PIVX is also planning to launch a zk-SNARKS-based privacy protocol from Zcash in the fourth quarter of this year.
Credits: CoinTelegraph

Uber Angel Investor: ‘99% of Crypto Projects Are Garbage’

Jason Calacanis, an angel investor of Robinhood and Uber, says nearly all crypto projects are run by ‘delusional’ founders or idiots.

Prominent angel investor and internet entrepreneur Jason Calacanis says 99% of altcoin projects are “gabage” run by unqualified individuals, but holds out hope for the 1% with the power to change the world.  
According to a Tweet posted on June 27 by the angel investor behind ridesharing app Uber and crypto trading app Robinhood, nearly all of the crypto projects around the world are under the control of “unqualified idiots” or “grifters” with below-average skills: 
However, Calacanis stated that the projects with the most potential lacking these undesirable qualities are what perks his interest: “I’m waiting for that 1% to deliver their product so I can talk to their customers.”

Altcoins performing better than Bitcoin

Cointelegraph reported last week that many DeFi tokens including Aave (LEND) and MakerDAO (MKR) had posted double-digit gains. Many even outperformed Bitcoin (BTC), which dipped below $9,000 more than once. 
Calacanis’ views on Bitcoin have changed. In May 2019, he predicted BTC would go to the bears, with the price likely to fall to $500, if not zero. However, during a recent interview with Anthony Pompliano, the entrepreneur said he might be willing to invest up to 3% of his net worth into BTC.

Crypto Research Report Predicts $397K Bitcoin Price by 2030

Researchers behind the June 2020 report from the Crypto Research Report used Bitcoin’s target addressable market to predict a rise to $397K.

A new report from a crypto research group suggests that the price of Bitcoin could approach $400,000 in the next ten years, with altcoins following its bullish example.
According to the June 2020 edition of the Crypto Research Report, researchers predicted the price of Bitcoin (BTC) and other altcoins — Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Stellar (XLM) — would get a huge surge before 2025, which may continue for at least five years.  
“We believe that Bitcoin is still at the very start of its adoption curve,” the report states. “The price of $7,200 at the end of 2019 suggests that Bitcoin has penetrated less than 0.44% of its total addressable markets [worth $212 trillion]. If this penetration manages to reach 10%, its non-discounted utility price should reach nearly $400,000.”
Source: Crypto Research Report
That would mean a price increase of more than 4,000% for BTC by 2030, but ETH, LTC, and BCH are also looking bullish in this scenario, with surges of roughly 1,600%, 5,000%, and 5,400%, respectively. However, XLM would see the largest increase: more than 11,000% from $0.07 to $7.81.
‏‏The ‎Liechtenstein-based research group analyzed cryptocurrencies based on their target addressable market (TAM), a metric used “to estimate a cryptoasset’s implied future price.”  According to the report, TAMs for cryptocurrencies include remittance, tax evasion, offshore accounts, store of value, online transactions, micropayments, crypto trading, gaming, online gambling, consumer loans, reserve currency, and others.

‏On-chain velocity decreasing, off-chain increasing

The report also observed on- and off-chain velocity metrics for altcoins and concluded that the “growth in the number of speculative transactions on exchanges is faster than growth of utility transactions to buy goods and services.”
“On-chain velocity” is a metric measured by transactions on a blockchain, while “off-chain velocity” is determined by trading activity on crypto exchanges. When analyzing Bitcoin, the researchers noted the price of the cryptocurrency and its activity on exchanges both increased at roughly the same time:
Source: Crypto Research Report
“If cryptocurrencies gain adoption for long-term hoarding purposes or for short-term spending on speculation or coffees, the price of crypto assets will go up,” the Crypto Research Report stated. “High velocity on-chain and low velocity off-chain suggests that crypto assets are becoming increasingly used for speculation and not for store of value.”

New Crypto Trading Platform Launches with Forex Traders in Mind

A crypto platform has been built using technology familiar to forex traders, potentially injecting new capital into the market.

Forex traders have long been interested in what cryptocurrencies have to offer. There’s just been one problem: they often aren’t available on familiar platforms.
Now, a company has launched a trading platform that unlocks access to crypto-centric products using MT5, meaning new digital assets as well as derivatives such as contracts for difference are available through a tool they know and trust.
CryptoAltum says its infrastructure has been built in response to growing demand from those who, until now, have only focused on foreign currencies. The company also believes the platform will prove useful for traders who want an alternative to buying and selling digital assets on crypto exchanges.

Points of difference

The team behind CryptoAltum acknowledges that the marketplace is competitive and becoming increasingly crowded. To this end, it has focused on addressing some of the main pain points that traders currently face when using existing platforms.
Know Your Customer, or KYC, checks have been a major sticking point for many — not least because of how entering passport details and identification numbers can be a time-consuming, arduous process. To this end, CryptoAltum says it provides a simple, fast registration process that eliminates as many steps as possible, allowing users to enjoy anonymity.
The CryptoAltum platform has also been optimized specifically to pave the way for seamless cryptocurrency trading, with lightning-fast order executions ensuring that users will never miss a beat when the markets are moving quickly. Leverage of up to 1:500 is available, meaning clients can trade significantly higher amounts than their deposits. CryptoAltum also claims to offer a typical Bitcoin spread of $3, with its research claiming the average among its rivals stands at $30.
MORE INSIGHTS FROM CRYPTOALTUM HERE
Through contracts for difference, traders can speculate on the price movements of major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) without having to own the asset itself.
Aside from cryptocurrencies, the platform is also active in forex, gold and indices. Brought together, the company says it has the potential to become a one-stop shop for any trader’s needs — whether they want to long forex pairs, use Bitcoin for hedging, or rely on precious metals as a safe haven.

Getting involved

Customers who use CryptoAltum can fund their accounts 24/7 through “secure crypto wallets” that are provided through the platform. Deposits are accepted in Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and True USD. Once transactions are completed, most funds are stored in cold wallets. As well as being disconnected from the internet, this storage is distributed in four locations and is further secured thanks to antivirus programs and time-delayed access.
Acknowledging that some of its users may be brand-new to cryptocurrencies, the company notes that demo accounts are available to help them put strategies to the test, get acquainted with the system, and experiment without putting their assets at risk.
Safety and credibility are two of the top priorities for CryptoAltum’s experienced team. The company’s general manager, Amy Pepper, has more than 10 years of experience in the Contract for Difference space and is bringing “tremendous experience and insight” to its operations after previously working for the likes of FXPro and IC Markets.
With more than 60 crypto pairs on offer and new additions being made regularly, the company has high hopes of becoming a more established competitor on the scene.

Cryptocurrency News From Japan: June 21 - June 27 in Review

SBI announced a crypto investment fund, Bitflyer Holdings used blockchain-based voting for a shareholder meeting, and more headlined news from Japan this past week.
This week’s headlines from Japan included SBI announcing a digital asset investment fund, Bitflyer Holdings using blockchain for shareholder meeting voting, Japan's Financial Services Agency warning two unregistered crypto exchanges, a Japanese digital asset exchange self-regulatory group changing chairmen, and Coincheck announcing launch details for its digital shareholder meeting platform. 

Check out some of this week’s crypto and blockchain headlines, originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan.

SBI unveils a crypto investment fund

As an option for individual participants, Japanese financial services entity SBI Holdings expects to form and open Japan's first digital asset fund at some point over the next few months, according to SBI CEO Yoshitaka Kitao.
SBI's daughter company, Morningstar, will head up the asset allocation between the three cryptocurrencies used in the fund — Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple's XRP. 

Bitflyer completes blockchain-based shareholder meeting

The parent company of Tokyo-based crypto exchange Bitflyer, Bitflyer Holdings, hosted blockchain-based app voting for its shareholder meeting last week. Built by daughter company Bitflyer Blockchain, the app, bVote, facilitated interaction in the digital shareholder meeting, which yielded attendance from Bitflyer brass and shareholders. 

Japanese regulatory agency warns exchanges

Japan's Financial Services Agency, or FSA, warned two digital asset exchanges for their lack of proper licensing. The two companies, Seychelles-based Bitforex, and U.S.-based Amanpuri, reportedly hosted usage by folks residing in Japan. 
Authorities will take further action if unregistered activity persists. 

Japanese self-regulatory agency gains new chair

Bitflyer executive Kimihiro Mine joined the Japan Cryptocurrency Trading Association, or JVCEA, as its new chairman, tallying the first chairman swap in entity's history. A digital asset exchange self-regulating group in Japan, JVCEA formerly held Money Partners CEO and president Taizen Okuyama as its chairman.  

Coincheck eyes release for digital shareholder meeting platform

Digital asset trading outlet Coincheck expects to see its digital shareholder meeting platform, Sharely, launch later in 2020. With its website now live, the solution facilitates online shareholder meetings, allowing participants the ability to pose queries and vote, or simply view the meeting, depending on the type of each attendee.
Coincheck looks toward potentially using blockchain technology as part of the solution, although it appears as though blockchain is not yet part of the equation.